Rumors of the tablet-maker's demise have bubbled up to the surface as a result of Fusion Garage's website going offline for a brief period of time over the weekend. And that's still partially true: The official Fusion Garage blog (and store) are still down as of this article's writing.

Don't expect to find a grand series of posts explaining what's going on with the company on any of Fusion Garage's social properties. The last Fusion Garage Facebook post came on October 19, and the last Twitter messages  a batch of what appeared to be apologies to customers still waiting to receive their Grid 10 tablets  went out on December 9.

That's an important detail to pay attention to if you're one of the (perhaps) now-unlucky ones to have already placed an order for said tablet. As in, you might want to explore alternative methods to cancel the payment and/or refund your cash. According to Engadget's Joe Pollicino, Fusion Garage executives aren't replying with any official comment as to what's may or may not be going on over at the company. And, worse, Fusion Garage's (former?) PR handlers are:

"Unfortunately, none of our efforts have resulted in any communication from the company to the customers. Given all of this, we don't have any other choice but to cease working with FG effective tomorrow," reads a statement by McGrath Power.

So no PR agency, outstanding Grid 10 tablet orders, and no gentle end to what's otherwise been a lifetime of missteps by the aspiring tablet manufacturer. Those who had originally purchased the company's JooJoo tablet  itself, a spin on the fabled "CrunchPad" tablet first envisioned during the now-failed partnership between Fusion Garage and former TechCrunch editor Michael Arrington  should probably not expect to receive their promised free Grid 10 tablets anytime soon.

In many ways, that could be a mixed blessing. When PCMag's David Pierce looked at the tablet in August, he described the Grid 10 as such: "Physically, there's not much about the Grid 10 to differentiate it from Android tablets like the Acer Iconia Tab A500." That was in reference to a product that was first expected to ship in mid-September, we note. Its mid-September launch then transformed into an early October launch, and it's been a kind-of crapshoot ever since as to whether those who preordered the device actually ended up receiving one.

In other words: While Fusion Garage has been treading water just fulfilling orders, the rest of the tablet market has been pushing forward. Even if Fusion Garage somehow pulls a Cylon and resurrects itself following whatever's been affecting the company over the past few days, if not weeks, would the move just postpone the inevitable? Does the world of tablet computing have space for Fusion Garage to tag along?

Update (1:50 PST): According to Arrington, Fusion Garage's attorneys in a lawsuit between the company and Arrington/AOL recently asked the court for permission to withdraw as the company's council. Fusion Garage has allegedly not paid the firm, Quinn Emanuel, "for services rendered and the costs associated with those services for several months."

David Murphy got his first real taste of technology journalism when he arrived at PC Magazine as an intern in 2005. A three-month gig turned to six months, six months turned to occasional freelance assignments, and he has since rejoined his tech-loving, mostly New York-based friends as one of PCMag.com's news contributors.
His rise to (self-described) fame in the world of tech journalism began during his stint as an associate editor at Maximum PC, where his love of cardboard-based PC construction and meetings put him in...
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